An authentic Balinese cooking school in an organic garden, perched above a rushing river.

Tresna means "love" in Balinese which is what we poured into the building of our dream cooking school. It would be a mistake to see us as an alternative to the dozen cooking schools in Bali (we are not a restaurant, an after thought at a hotel or a table set up in someone’s family compound). We’ve turned the concept of a Balinese cooking class on its head, building it from ground up. With our shared love of food and cooking, you will delve into hands-on lessons that feature your hands, not ours.

Authentic Balinese Home Cooking

Real Balinese food is rather time consuming to prepare but tantalizingly delicious as it’s such a lively, fresh and complex cuisine. Visiting tourists may be surprised to hear that they are actually sampling dishes from other parts of Indonesia (such as Nasi Goreng or Gado Gado), but these do not originate or represent real Balinese food. Our menus are Adi’s own recipes that he’s honed over decades of cooking for loved ones.

We teach only authentic Balinese home cooked dishes as well as extravagant ceremonial specialties such as whole Babi Guling (whole pig roast). We use the freshest of ingredients from our own gardens and the local market in Ubud.

Our Location

We selected the location, only 7 minutes from Central Ubud, for its natural riverside tranquility away from the tourist beaches. We’ve attended cooking schools around Asia and beyond to learn from the best. We’ve tended our fruit trees for years, planted an organic garden and designed cooking stations that are comfortable and conducive to learning.

Beyond our beautiful location, we’re systemic in our approach. Having organized some of the most exclusive weddings on the island, we are applying our event expertise to our passion – authentic Balinese food and traditional living culture.

Our Cooking Class

Our class menus are a celebration of the freshest ingredients of that season and that day.

You will learn recipes found only in a traditional Balinese family compound where the head of the house is a passionate cook such as Adi. Start by chopping and pounding spices that you pick from our organic gardens to make Adi’s secret Balinese Spice Paste that he learned as a child from his grandfather and refined as an adult.

With your complete spice paste, you will create authentic Balinese dishes using variations of the paste - for example – raw paste to stuff a whole pig to be roasted, lightly sautéed paste for ceremonial pork satay lilit and caramelized paste for fresh urab salad.

Our intimate class size is limited to 12 guests. Each of you will have your very own cooking station. You will cook at least 1 salad, 3 mains, 1 dessert and several spicy sambals. The classes are fully hands on where you will cook all dishes together to be shared as a Balinese feast.

You will also make key staples such as fried chilies, finely sliced fried shallots and garlic and grated roasted coconut and learn about pantry items such as Balinese sea salt, homemade coconut oil and shrimp paste.

Sample Menu of the Day
· Urab Salad - Organic greens including snake beans, wing beans, amaranth and baby spouts with roasted coconut, kaffir lime juice and golden shallots
· Satay Babi Tusuk - Balinese Pork Satay - Marinated pork shoulder with the traditional spice paste and grilled over coconut husks
· Ayam Kalasan - Hand-shredded grilled chicken in freshly extracted coconut cream sauce
· Pepes Ikan – Fillets of fresh sea bass or red snapper and spicy handmade tomato sambal wrapped and grilled in Banana Leaves
· Dadar Gulung - Coconut Pandan Crepes with roasted coconut and palm sugar

Balinese Cooking Class Prices

Soft Opening Cash Rate:

USD 45 per person including return transfers from Ubud Centre, Organic Garden Tour, Hands On Cooking Lesson and 5-Course Lunch

Discounted from Regular 2017 Rate: USD 60 per person

Tresna Bali Cooking School Class Schedule:

8:30 am - Pick Up from Ubud Centre
8:45 am - Arrive at Tresna Bali Cooking School
9:00 am - Refreshments and Organic Garden Tour
9:30 am - Hands On Cooking Lesson of 5 Authentic BALINESE Dishes
12:00 pm - Lunch Feast
1:30 pm - Return to Ubud Centre